Instructions

ZOOM IN by clicking on the page. A slider will appear, allowing you to adjust your zoom level. Return to the original size by clicking on the page again.

MOVE the page around when zoomed in by dragging it.

ADJUST the zoom using the slider on the top right.

ZOOM OUT by clicking on the zoomed-in page.

SEARCH by entering text in the search field and click on "In This Issue" or "All Issues" to search the current issue or the archive of back issues
respectively.
.

PRINT by clicking on thumbnails to select pages, and then press the
print button.

SHARE this publication and page.

ROTATE PAGE allows you to turn pages 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise.Click on the page to return to the original orientation. To zoom in on a rotated page, return the page to its original orientation, zoom in, and
then rotate it again.

CONTENTS displays a table of sections with thumbnails and descriptions.

ALL PAGES displays thumbnails of every page in the issue. Click on
a page to jump.

A6 news
guardian.co.tt Sunday, January 15, 2017
Rhoda takes on Carmona
...from her armchair at home
During his Republic
Day address last year,
President Anthony Car-
mona used a phrase that
immediately became
part of this country’s
lexicon. That term was
“armchair journalist.”
And while Carmona did
not explicitly name anyone
who fit that description,
there was little doubt to
those listening that one of
the people he was referring
to was Rhoda Bharath.
She had one week ear-
lier set social media abuzz
when she raised the issue
of President’s House re-
bottling wine imported
from Italy and other ques-
tionable expenditure there.
Questions about the
expenditure at the Presi-
dent’s House have been in
the forefront since.
On Thursday, the ac-
counting officer at the
office of the President and
other officials appeared
before the Parliament’s
Public Administration
and Appropriations Com-
mittee where the office’s
weak adherence to Public
Service rules and regula-
tions with respect to hiring
practices, procurement,
tendering procedures,
and overseas travel were
addressed.
This week, the Sunday
Guardian sits down with
Bharath for a Q&A. In an
armchair no doubt.
Q: Social media has
been used for a num-
ber of reasons. What in-
spired you to begin using
yours as a platform for
social commentary?
A: The illegal State of
Emergency of 2011.
Picture having access to all
of your rights one day and
then by 9 pm one evening,
the Prime Minister, from
her home, is announcing
a State of Emergency that
has no clear event or rea-
son triggering it, and this
happened without consul-
tation with the President.
From that very evening I
began posting updates—
partly to deal with my
own confusion and help-
lessness and partly to keep
friends and family abroad
in the know. My wall be-
came a source of news for
many. I also live- updated
the marathon parliamen-
tary debate to decide to
extend the State of Emer-
gency. I think that sealed
my relationship with social
media. It was then I began
to understand how it could
be used as an information
tool. Prior to that, I used
it like everyone else, rec-
reationally.
The President of T&T is
the country’s highest of-
fice holder, someone
that people may deem
untouchable. However,
you have focused on ex-
penditure at that office
and highlighted a num-
ber of issues there. What
was your motivation?
The President or any
other high office holder
can only be deemed un-
touchable if we allow him
to be untouchable and
above the laws of the land.
One of the President’s du-
ties is to uphold and pro-
tect the Constitution. So,
I hope he is fulfilling his
job description. Public
expenditure awareness is
a New Year’s resolution I
gave myself at the end of
2015. I’d become fascinat-
ed by certain Parliamen-
tary committee hearings.
The ones that focused on
spending in ministries.
I was appalled at the ex-
cessive expenditure and
the ways in which minis-
ters and top public serv-
ants seemed to be wasting
money without having to
face any consequences.
So, I decided I would use
my social media presence
in 2016 to get people who
follow me online more
engaged and aware about
public expenditure. Then
the Auditor General’s Re-
port for fiscal year 2015
was published. And while
reading it I remembered
the housing allowance
stories from 2014. I be-
gan asking questions. At
first, few answers were
forthcoming. Then, by
September 2016 some-
thing clicked. A friend
sent me a photograph of a
wine bottle. Then some-
one else confirmed that
audits at the household
had pointed to inconsist-
encies. In the week after
that first Facebook Live
video, people reached out
to me privately. Many were
angry and disappointed in
the President specifically
and at the level of cor-
ruption in the country in
general.
Are you being funded or
operating on behalf of
any political party in this
matter?
A small number of
people have implied this.
It does not seem to have
occurred to them that it
makes no sense. No pol-
itician from either party
wants to confront the Of-
fice of the President. Con-
trary to what some may
think, no political party
is excited about moving a
sitting President...Politi-
cians can only lose if T&T
sets a precedent that abuse
of public power or mon-
ey should be prosecuted
immediately. Wouldn’t
it mean they have to step
down as well? Face the
courts? Apart from that, it
just seems to be bad poli-
tics in our system of par-
ty politics for politicians
to confront high office
holders. Has Dr Rowley
looked remotely enthusi-
astic about this issue when
questioned publicly? Has
Kamla Persad-Bissessar
even touched it in Par-
liament or at her Mon-
day Night Forums? Or
Prakash Ramadhar? Not
even the MSJ (Movement
for Social Justice) has
touched this issue pub-
licly. Imagine that? An
issue related to public
accounts, transparency,
and possible corruption
and it’s like all politicians
and most of civil society
have suddenly developed
an extensive case of laryn-
gitis. These are the same
people who would weep to
the public when more are
murdered, failing to insist
on the standards that are
needed to put things right.
So, to answer your
question directly, No. My
pocket and my pocket
alone has foot the bills I
have received, including
the advice of British silk.
With Anthony Carmona’s
term as President
expected to end next
year what do you hope
the outcome of your
agitations will be?
On September 10 when
I did the first Live video on
Facebook, all I wanted then
were answers. I wanted
the public to understand
too that we have power.
Our public officials have
a duty to be forthright and
accountable, especially
when it comes to public
monies and the laws of the
land. After his speech on
September the 28, when I
heard the convoluted rea-
son given about a special
report and the SRC (Sala-
ries Review Commission)
and the CPO (Chief Per-
sonnel Officer), I became
utterly convinced that an
investigation is necessary.
President Carmona’s an-
swers left me with more
questions. And let’s not
forget that he has also not
answered questions about
whether he hired his moth-
er-in-law; who imported
the wine; as well as skirted
the issue of his travel ex-
penditure and other public
accounts questions raised.
An open and transparent
investigation is necessary.
If it doesn’t happen, then
it makes no sense to even
bother to tackle crime in
other areas.
The end of his term is
not material to me. I will
call forever for the inves-
tigation. If I do not, things
cannot improve in Trini-
dad.
You have called for the
police to investigate the
President on the issue of
the housing allowance.
President Anthony Carmona
n Continued on Page A7